Occupy This Body: A Buddhist Memoir from Sumeru Press is the story of Religious Studies Professor Sharon A. Suh’s struggle to overcome a childhood of forced-feeding, emotional neglect, and cruelty from her Korean immigrant mother who battled and eventually succumbed to her own eating disorders. As she matures and awakens to her own body, she must come to terms with her past suffering and how it shapes her experiences as a Korean American woman raised and educated within predominantly upper middle-class white America. In this memoir she shares her discovery, study, and embrace of Buddhism to help her heal from past trauma and lay bare the cultural silence surrounding abuse and mental illness in Asian American families.

Sharon A. Suh is a Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Seattle University. Suh earned her Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Harvard University and is the author of Being Buddhist in a Christian World: Gender and Community (University of Washington Press, 2004) and Silver Screen Buddha: Buddhism in Asian and Western Film (Bloomsbury Press, 2015).

In addition to her academic work, Suh completed her 200-hour yoga teacher certification training, Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga, Yoga for Trauma (Y4T training), and level I Certification in Mindful Eating – Conscious Living through the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. She serves on the board of directors of Yoga Behind Bars, advocating for transformative justice, and offering yoga for resilience and trauma recovery.

A popular speaker on the topic of feminism and Buddhism, she has also developed and presented workshops on mindful movement, meditation, body image, body acceptance, and mindful eating practices. She resides in Seattle with her two teenaged daughters, two dogs, and husband.

The Sumeru Press Inc. is dedicated to publishing and distributing Buddhist books and art, with a particular focus on Buddhism in Canada. It celebrates and supports all lineages.